


Chains (Re)bound

by Fooeyburr



Series: Chains [3]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Bill and Ford engage in philosophical discussion, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, a pinch of smut towards the end, extremely questionable fluff, that revolves around humanity, there's a hint towards an alternative backstory for Bill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:37:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fooeyburr/pseuds/Fooeyburr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To conquer your weakness is to acquire power; your guilt, to compromise your humanity; your detachment, to assimilate.</p><p>A sequel for Chains. Can be read as an independent work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chains (Re)bound

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, can't seem to get rid of my first fic, can I! 
> 
> Okay, here's a sequel I've been meaning to write for ages but only recently got the decisive kick to do at last (a warm special thanks for a user known as Armitage for their encouraging comment on the original fic that set everything in motion! <3). To those who haven't read Chains or its reveal-tastic retelling Chains (Re)imagined (which can both be found under this pen name if you're interested ^^), have no fear - all you need to know about the earlier parts to catch on this one is that Ford was manipulated to the point of agreeing to give Bill the equation in exchange for being trapped forever in his own dream world with everything he ever wished for.
> 
> Sooo go read the thing and tell me what you think! Oh, and you can absolutely expect that hinted backstory for Bill to be explored further in a separate fic in the future. I also have one last drabble for the Chains canon planned, but we'll have to see how it goes.

* * *

 

 

The mornings were always the strangest.

 _This isn’t real. None of this is real!_ was what went through his head before any of his senses had awakened enough to register his surroundings. The voice repeating it was his own, assertive and deep, but with a ripple of resignation as though it was shouting after a faraway departing silhouette. And there was no need to turn and face the warning. He already knew. It wasn’t real. He didn’t mind. _Reality is an illusion._

The voice was persistent, however, and kept coming back to him every morning before he opened his eyes and was greeted by the peace and freedom he deserved.

 

 

* * *

 

Stanford Pines had literally the fate of the world in his hands.

Technically it was just the world as he conceived it – he didn’t know what exactly Bill had done to the reality he’d effectively shut himself out of. Regardless of it no longer being much of his concern, he’d ventured on asking him about his plans moments before they’d left the penthouse. The answer he’d received was rather cryptic and nothing short of confusing.

“Well, what do you _think_ will happen, Fordsy? You know me. Then again, you really don’t! You never did, and I’m not even the Bill Cipher you _thought_ you knew. In fact, I don’t know if even _I_ know my own plans. And even if I told you, there would be no way to tell if it’s the truth or not. Not for you, and not for me. Now there’s a headscratcher, and we don’t need any more of those, right?”

Ford had raised an eyebrow. “Bill…”

“Haha, just messing with ya!” Bill had cackled. “What I mean to say is it doesn’t matter anymore. Whichever way it goes, what you decide to do here is going to be a reflection of whatever you think is going on outside your Mindscape. That’s the closest we can get, bud. We’re like two cats in Schrodinger’s box performing shadow play on the wall of Plato’s cave.”

“I… I still don’t follow.” It was no wonder, seeing how Bill’s metaphor hadn’t made much sense to begin with. Was the box inside the cave, or the other way around, or…?

Bill had winked. “Watch and learn, IQ.”

With a snap of his fingers, he’d taken him to where they were standing now: the edge of his Mindscape exactly as he remembered it from the time of their first meeting, only this time they were surrounded by vague swirling mirages of his past life, his home dimension, Earth.

“Now then”, said Bill, “before we take our leave to the unknown and beyond, seems like there’s some major scale business we need to take care of. Your diligent little mind won’t get its promised peace unless it gets its closure. ‘Ad Astra Per Aspera’, am I right?”

Ford couldn’t help but smile upon hearing Bill recite his old motto. “So… What is the hardship that lies ahead?”

The demon swished his hand. “Pfft, hardships. You know that’s just a lousy attempt of a translation, right? The proverb is supposed to motivate, not showcase how miserable your way to the stars will be. Broaden your mind a little, think about what the original phrase tells you to _do_. Shouldn’t be that hard to figure it out.”

“I don’t…” Then he realized. “Oh…! ‘Aspera’... _Aspire_.”

“Attaboy!” Bill smirked. “Gotta say those old timey chaps had much more sense in their little mortal heads than your modern lot. You’re so tied up with having words tell you precisely what to do and when to act instead of figuring it out yourselves. Call them hardships if you want, but if you don’t have the aspiration to conquer them, the whole phrase is pointless.”

Ford was at a loss of words. Linguistics and philosophy? This definitely wasn’t anything he’d expect to hear from Bill… Well, from the Bill he knew, anyway. And yet these couldn’t be his own thoughts entirely. Then what – or who – was this creature floating a few inches above the ground and talking about aspiration with his arm chummily wrapped around his shoulders?

“To sum it up, what I’m saying here”, Bill continued, “is that you need to decide what’s gonna happen to this world when you leave. You already made up your mind to never look back on this place.”

“Yes”, Ford answered firmly. He’d made his peace with his past life. There was nothing left for him here.

“There you go! Aspiration, right? Now, even though you’ve been handed the modest gift of immortality by yours truly, it’s not exactly a get-out-of-jail-free card for a human ridden with a hero complex like yourself. And I’m not gonna drag your regrets and doubts around, I mean, I have enough on my back as it is!”

“So you…” Ford said slowly. “You want me to… end the world?”

Bill burst into shrill laughter. “Well gee, Sixer, I don’t know! Is that what you wanna do? Because I won’t get in your way if that’s what your heart desires! Sure, it sounds a little extreme coming from you, but you know flamboyance loves company! You’ve barely kicked off your eternity with me, and you already know the drill! I’m impressed!”

Just as Ford was beginning to feel like this was the Bill he was the most familiar with, the demon’s tone of voice suddenly softened. “Of course, if the thought of global destruction still ruffles your feathers, how about we wrap the whole thing up in a bubble of mortal happiness? Your grand niece certainly seemed to like it there.”

“No”, Ford retorted without hesitation. “A bubble is not an option.”

“Oh?”

“You know it only works for granting individual wishes. If everyone was to have their desires fulfilled, it would only lead to conflict and eventual annihilation.”

“Well, you got that right, no argument here!” said Bill with a curious glint in his eye; it was obvious that rather than being concerned for humanity, he only found the proposed scenario amusing. “Then how about giving everyone their respective bubbles so they can just create their dream versions of their family and friends and make them dance to their own tune however they wished?”

“No, that won’t do either. It would be deception.”

“Huh.” Ford couldn’t help but notice the hint of irony in the demon’s voice. After all, his own deal with Bill essentially filled the criteria of him having created a bubble of his own. “So self-deceit is fine, but bamboozling others is a no-no? That hero complex of yours sure is going strong even after giving up your dignity.”

“Well… Yes.” He was quiet for a while before continuing. “It… It simply isn’t what I want. If I’d only wished for everyone’s happiness and mutual acceptance, I would’ve made that my part of our deal. However, what I truly wanted… is you.”

“Oh, sheesh, Fordsy, you’re making me blush!” Bill smirked. “I’d kiss you right here and now if we weren’t so busy with setting the world ablaze. So, what do you say? A nice little bonfire to celebrate our undying love?”

Unsurprisingly, Ford was still hesitant. This was merely a symbolic procedure that would have no effect on the actual reality… which _he_ would never know any better. He had to make a decision that would leave no room for regret.

“All right, let me make this a little easier for ya, pal. I know everything, remember? How about a little skip to the not-so-faraway future?” And with yet another conveniently omnipotent snap of Bill’s fingers, the lucid images swirling around them twisted and changed into a vision of the Earth that now looked very different.

“Bill, what… _when_ is this?”

“38 years from now”, Bill answered. “Just about enough to get your generation out of the way –“ he didn’t mention names, but Ford knew he was talking about Stanley, “– but the brats and their families would be literally up to their ears in the aftermath of what you humans in your great wisdom referred to as progress. I even excluded my own delightful interference to really drive the point home here.”

Ford gulped. “Global warming.”  

There was hardly any land visible amidst the blue vastness now covering almost the entire planet. But even with the rise of sea levels explaining most of it, what little was left of the geosphere didn’t seem right.

“Eeyup. Swerved out of control real damn quick, that one! And to make it even more of a show, by this point your kind already had every tool you needed to stop it from happening. In fact, you had’em ever since the early nineties and the first successful nuclear fusion experiment. Didn’t hear this from me, of course, government secrets and all! And as it goes, only took a few decades for that information to leak. Add a couple of maniacal national leaders that, quite honestly, put my charming spontaneity to shame, and I don’t think I need-a tell you what this ultimate trainwreck of your species sums up to!”

“Oh… oh no.”

“Oh yes! 5 million years of evolution, 10 000 years of civilization, 200 years of global domination _and_ an experimented potential for intergalactic invasion…” Bill made a childish impression of an exploding sound. “Well, at least humanity went out with a bang. Literally. Or a series of bangs. The fallout took care of the rest. I’d show you a compilation of the best parts, but frankly I don’t think your taste of dark comedy is cultivated enough just yet!”

Ford squeezed his eyes shut. Despite all his readiness to leave the bonds of his humanity behind, he hadn’t expected to witness this. Not that he’d ever had any particular faith or hope for humanity and its future; before the portal incident, he’d lived amidst the realities and dystopian fears of the Cold War, but he had been too invested with the anomalies manifesting in all species to concern himself with the undertakings of his own kind.

“Now of course, that’s just one timeline among the infinite amount of different outcomes”, Bill said, making flickering visions dance around them until they melted into an ambiguous blur, “but if we’re going to dig into _that_ pile, I can tell you right away that there’s more of where those destructive tendencies came from in the first place. I’m sure you catch my drift.”

Ford did. He’d seen enough. If anything… his judgment would be an act of mercy.

“Well then. Bonfires are supposed to be fun, so… Wait, how did you humans party again? Oh, right!” He felt Bill’s fingers intertwine with his. “Dance like it’s the end of the world.”

 

 

* * *

 

 The smell of Jaipar trees was a very pleasant first sensation to awaken to. The next thing his awareness caught on was the warmth of Bill’s humanoid form huddled up against him. It wasn’t any less pleasant, quite the opposite, but it always made him wonder. Was he there for real, even in the vague definition of _real_ that applied to the self-admittedly false life Ford was now leading?

He couldn’t imagine Bill having a streak for casual physical closeness, let alone _cuddling_. Yet it seemed to be a regular activity amidst their more verbal interactions during their stay at his old hut in Dimension 55J-t. Bill had always been rather handsy and invasive, that much he knew and was prepared for, but he never expected his physical approaches to take a form of what could easily be mistaken for a sign of affection. And that was undeniably the case with every occasion Bill suddenly wrapped his arms around his torso for no other reason than press himself flush against him for a while before letting go just as abruptly and going around his business like nothing had happened; every time he curled up on his lap on the porch in a manner one would expect from a cat instead of a chaotic dream demon with no real physical form to begin with; or every time he leaned in for a kiss, which he seemed to enjoy quite a lot and often.

Ford didn’t mind, not at all. He enjoyed it just as much, but he couldn’t help but suspect the authenticity of these actions – coming from a triangle demon who camouflaged himself as a human for seemingly no other reason than Ford’s convenience, they simply didn’t sit right.

One morning, he asked Bill if he’d prefer his original form to this one. The demon had answered him with a hearty ‘meh’.

“Remember whose wishes we’re supposed to be granting here? You conjured up this fancy fleshy form for me with a matching set of fingers and all and now you’re asking for a refund? Yeesh, Sixer!”

“No, Bill, I’m not…” Ford frowned. A loud laughter that followed his hasty response was enough confirmation that Bill was just provoking him on purpose. “You know that’s not what I meant. I was asking if _you_ would be more comfortable in your triangular or any other form, that is all.”

Bill stretched his arms; he was resting his head on Ford’s lap again, and consequently almost punched the man in the face with his swift motion. “Shouldn’t really matter what I think, Fordsy. I’m your dream version of me, remember? It’s how I’m programmed! I’m at your beck and call in every manner of meaning! Anything I say or do is bound to correspond to what you want of me. Easy enough, amiright?” It was what Ford had surmised was the larger scheme of things for quite some time; giving the terms of their deal, it sounded likely, even if rather sad. “So even if I disagree with you or make you upset, it only goes to follow that you were straight up _asking_ for it.”

…Well. That sounded a bit off. “Are you making fun of me again?”

“If that’s what you want, sure!”

“Bill…” Ford cleared his throat. “In that case, I want you to take your original form for today.”

Bill gave him a quirky look, then shrugged. “Nah.”

“What? I thought –“

“I told you, didn’t I?” Bill cackled over the rest of his sentence. “Either you weren’t listening or just missed the whole point, genius! Regardless of how much I please, oppose or irk you, it’s always just a manifestation of your deepest desires. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, buddy, this is your life now! Better get used to it!”

Ford snorted. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. Absolutely. It would make all of this pointless. It would make no difference, and in that case even the world as it was before our deal could’ve been construed similarly to… Wait.”

Bill crossed his arms under his head, tipping his top hat slightly in the process. “So you see? Reality is an illusion maintained by those who want to enslave you. The Universe is a hologram _you_ maintain to shield yourself from a complete loss of control. I keep telling you dumb humans that’s how it is, but no! You guys are so stuck between being fooled and fooling yourselves, it’s pathetic is what it is! You, however, make an exception there. You chose to free yourself from that crossfire of humanity. I like that.”

He had a point. “I’m… no longer human, am I?”

“Can’t really say you are”, Bill confirmed in a nonchalant tone. “Started off as one, sure, but it’s more or less just another curio about you now that the rest of your bunch is out of the way for good. What’s it matter, though?”

“Nothing, I’m… just wondering. What I am, or what I will become now that I’m no longer what I used to be.”

The demon gave him a rather dull stare. “Look, Stanford, just how many seconds of your unbearably short mortal life did you waste on convincing yourself of your humanity? Did any of the things you achieved back on that sad little planet or the Multiverse depend on that somehow? Did you go around introducing yourself as ‘ _Stanford Pines, a humanly human of the human kind who needs to validate my own humanity with every action I take or else all my efforts and merits are as good as worthless’_?”

“Well, not exactly…” Ford muttered, struggling over whether to laugh or cringe at the sound of Bill doing a perfect imitation of his voice. “Although there were several occasions when I was more self-conscious of my deviance among all the different alien species.”

“But even then, you weren’t exactly _human_. You were a freak, Sixer. Just the way you always were, even in the eyes your own kind.”

Ford gazed into the distance. He was slowly starting to understand what Bill was getting at. “I… guess that is true.”

“Sure it is!” Bill responded with a smug grin. “But as it goes, soon you realized you’re just a freak among freaks. There’s no need for conformity when there’s nothing to chain yourself on. That’s what humanity and your ridiculous norms are. Chains. Bindings, shackles, prison bars, make your pick. Point is they only hold you down. Guess it comes with mortality for the most part. But you’re different, IQ. You’re no longer mortal nor human. You’re free, an entire universe of your own, just like nature meant ya and that brilliant mind of yours.”

Ford was quiet for a long time; his fingers had strayed to caress Bill’s hair without him noticing – the hair of the humanoid form shaped on a whim after one particularly restless dream, back when he was still young and lonely and ridden with need for human contact. If what Bill was saying was true, wouldn’t this artificial human form be one of the chains holding him down to his roots?

“Perhaps…” he then thought aloud, “…I should be the one to change my form.”

“That can be arranged”, Bill answered without showing much enthusiasm towards one way or the other. “Got anything specific in mind? A new set of limbs, perhaps? Wanna glow in the dark? Sprout engines and fly like a jet? Ooh, how about turning you into nonsolid substance altogether? You could be in several places at the same time! Boy, would that be a riot!”

“I’m sure it would.” Ford entertained himself with the thought for a while, then shook his head. “I don’t know, Bill. Perhaps I’m no longer human, but my physical origins as one is something that is still an essential part of myself. Rather than furthering my liberation from the restrictions of humanity, I feel it would only alienate myself from what I _am_ instead of what I _was_.”

Bill shrugged with a smirk. “Works for me! And I gotta admit I’d miss that pretty face, anyway. Which brings to mind, I’d say it’s time for a little lip service, don’t you agree?”

Ford couldn’t help but smile against the demon’s lips as he absuptly jumped up to press them against his. As the slight breeze always present in this dimension made the Jaipar leaves sough peacefully around the hut, it occurred to him that perhaps this was too good to be true after all, nothing but an attempt of his own subconscious to keep him from crushing under the weight of his decision. However… if that truly was the case, then his mind really was just as free and brilliant as Bill had told him. An entire universe of its own. Ford was rather proud of that sentiment.

 

 

* * *

 

Their days of simple, peaceful coexistence in J55-t was not a bad start for the rest of eternity. However, Bill began to grow impatient rather quickly, and soon he started filling the blanks between their conversations with hints of new dimensions, countless new worlds waiting to be explored. It was rather contagious.

“Despite my old age in human standards and the exceptionally eventful life I have led, I never thought fondly of permanent retirement”, Ford found himself musing out loud to Bill one day. “The idea of settling down and laying my natural curiosity to rest is simply foreign to me. Well, now that I am immortal, it would be rather pointless either way.”

They decided to leave later the same afternoon.

Traveling with Bill was a largely different experience from his thirty years as a fugitive, stumbling from one dimension to another in constant need for a hiding place. Now the heaviest burden was gone, quite literally: Bill’s powers allowed them to move effortlessly from one place to another, and their traveling equipment was light, if merely symbolic.

Although they could always reach a comfortable place to sleep with ease, from time to time Ford suggested they “surrender to the whims of nature” and spend the night, or the equivalent of it, wherever a need for rest found them. Sometimes this meant sleeping beneath open skies, others under the roof of a benevolent alien household or a shady corner inn. The researcher’s need to constantly meddle and interact with the world around him appeared to be a source of equal amusement and frustration to Bill, who was impatiently bent on taking him from one specific destination to the next.

Ford, on the other hand, wanted to live the journey in between to the fullest. It was an intriguing chance to experiment, take small risks and sidesteps outside the safest road and explore the darker corners of his surroundings now that there was no constant danger looming over them. Bill was well-known and respected – or feared, in some cases it was hard to tell – all across the Multiverse, and no creature would even think of getting in the way of him and his new protégée.

To Bill, it was all a child’s play. As an all-knowing, omnipresent being, none of this was new to him. Yet despite his occasional hissy fits and intentionally showcased boredom, he seemed to be entertained and content with their shared travels. Ford couldn’t help but wonder why.

As it goes, Bill’s answer was rambling and disorderly, and not something Ford had expected.

“It’s fun! You’re fun. Humans are fun in all their shortcomings. Ya see, ever since the dawn of your intellectual development, you’ve been reaching your grabby hands for knowledge and understanding. What makes it fun is your limited capacity to handle all the information. Sooner or later, every one of you wisdom hunters is doomed to insanity. Hell, hanging out with you guys made _me_ insane! You wouldn’t believe how dull I was before I started meddling with you hairless apes. An emissary of universal order and harmony and all that boring junk. The lovable chaotic lunacy that is me as I am now is all thanks to you!”

This new aspect of Bill’s shared history with humans took Ford by surprise. He’d never thought the mere few hundred thousand years of interaction with one particular species could’ve actually reshaped the consciousness of an ancient omniscient entity.

With a beaming smile, Bill swirled around in the air as if to show off his form. “You think I stick with this fleshbag form for no other reason than keep you company, Fordsy? Nah, the truth be told, I’m even a bit sentimental over the demise of you guys. I can always start harassing some other sapient species, but your kind and I, we really clicked, y’know. Luckily I’ve got _you_ to keep around from now on, as a relic of our fruitful collaboration throughout the millennia! You’re like a whole new angle to this old boring sameness. I’m the light, which isn’t so bad in itself, but _you’re_ the shape that distorts it and makes it interesting.”

It was at this cheerful metaphor when it became clear to Ford that this new life of his couldn’t be merely a fabrication of his own mind.

The human mind was resourceful, and the extents of imagination vast beyond belief. But even more so, Ford knew from his years’ worth of immersing himself in conspiracy theories that there was nothing more gratifying to a human than making sense of things, connecting the dots into a series of causes and effects, sometimes simple, other times complicated. It was nothing short of compulsion of the human intellect itself – and, Ford assumed, what had taken humanity so far in terms of development before its inevitable self-destruction.

But perhaps, he now thought, it was also their ultimate weakness. Perhaps he, a human, was so tied up with his compulsive need to make sense of this – to see how every unexpected quirk of Bill’s, or every bit of apparently new knowledge he learned could’ve just been a clever reconstruction of something he’d come across in his past life – that he couldn’t see the chaos underneath, constantly reforming his mind and the entirety of himself.

That chaos was Bill. An antithesis to his humanity, the force tugging at his chains that only continued to bind him down because he chose to firmly believe in their existence.

_Reality is an illusion. The Universe is a hologram._

Perhaps it was time to let go.

 

 

* * *

 

“Why? Why me?”

It was a question he’d asked him before, and the answer was the same he’d heard in the penthouse.

“Because you’re mine.” The mouth declaring its possession moved from his lips to trail down his neck, a hot breath following every word. “Mine, mine, mine. All mine.”

Ford drew in a sharp breath at the sudden shift of mood. Ever since his liberation, kissing was as far as they’d gone in terms of physical intimacy; frankly he hadn’t even given a thought to the possibility of what took place during his captivity recurring. The hands slipping underneath the hem of his shirt certainly seemed to point towards that direction.

He bit down a small, keen sound fighting to escape his lips at the thought. “…Bill… Wait.”

“No”, came the response. “I’ve waited long enough. What’s mine is mine to take, Stanford…”

“B-but you don’t…” Ford stammered between his breaths getting increasingly heavier with every movement of Bill’s hands, “…I thought you don’t even…”

At last, the dream demon paused what he was doing. “Hm? I don’t what?”

“Well…” A faint blush crept across Ford’s cheeks. “I-I mean, your physical form is… It’s merely a puppet, isn’t it? Granted, it’s very lifelike and wholesome for one, but to my understanding it lacks certain functions and, uh… _desires_ of an actual human body. Am… I correct? You don’t really… want this. Physically.”

“Huh, well, I guess I don’t”, Bill said, sounding unconcerned. “I don’t see how that’s a problem, though. Maybe I can’t react, but I can still _act_ , give you all the sugar you want, y’know, part of our deal and all! Besides”, he then added, licking his lips, “seeing _you_ writhe with lust from the slightest touch does the job for me. Watching a pedantic nerd like you turn into a big shaky mess, now _that’s_ entertainment! And don’t even get me started on all the needy little sounds you make! Don’t know about physical arousal, but hell if I don’t get an intellectual kick out of _those_!”

“B… Bill, that’s…” Ford’s face was now burning red; he cleared his throat to get his voice back in working condition. “So… it doesn’t bother you?”

Bill shrugged. “Nah, I’m good. Silly mortal business is all it is.”

“But doesn’t it make you curious?” Ford pressed on. “You’ve seen how… well, powerful the experience can be.”

“Of course I’m curious, I’m always curious! Fine, since you’re so insistent about it… Hm, maybe there is a way…” Bill made a thoughtful frown complete with pouty lips before his face lit up. “Ooh, I know! Gimme a hand, Fordsy.”

Ford backed off a bit out of habit. “I hope you mean that as a figure of speech.”

“Yeah, yeah, just hold out your hand for a bit”, Bill swished him off impatiently. He didn’t stop to give Ford less than half a second to do what he was asking before he reached to grab the man’s hand on his own accord. “I’m not going to cut your hand off, but I will borrow your body for a bit if you don’t mind!”

Ford startled. “What? You mean… possession?”

“Possession! Please, that is so _yesteryear_. Let’s try something different this time around!” He placed his own hands against Ford’s. “How’s sensory connection sound to ya?”

“Sensory…?”

“That’s right! Maybe I don’t have all of the fleshy feelsy intricacies of my own, so I thought we could share! Just a quick revisit to your mind to do some rewiring, lemme just –“ for a second, his eye flashed gold “ – aaand done! Should be a…“

His voice withered away. All of a sudden, he froze completely, and his fingers clasped around Ford’s so tightly it almost hurt.

“Bill?” Ford watched nervously as the demon’s entire body tensed before relaxing again. A soft sound dropped from the thin lips. Bill released his grip on Ford’s hand, but didn’t let go; instead, he led it to his own face and let it slide down his neck and chest, slowly, inch by inch. The shallow gasp that followed was something Ford could’ve never imagined he’d be able to witness. This was Bill, feeling what _he_ could feel, and it made him tremble.

Bill’s eye was gleaming, his voice almost choked as he breathed out just one word. “Sixer.”

All distance between them was gone, and there was no more room for words.

 

 

* * *

 

Moments before he awakened to a new morning, bodies tangled together as if they were always one, Ford couldn’t tell if the voice whispering in his ear was Bill’s or his own.

_This is real. All of this is real._

He supposed it wouldn’t make much difference either way.


End file.
